Council Newcomers Lifting The Lid On Hot Davie Topics

July 1, 1998|By JODIE NEEDLE Staff Writer

DAVIE — They have been in office only four months, but already Town Council members Judy Paul and Richard Weiner are causing a stir, initiating public debate on such rarely discussed issues as lobbyist influence and emergency medical care.

Seeking to limit the power lobbyists have over town business, Weiner proposed an ordinance requiring lobbyists to register or face penalties.

For weeks, town officials have been discussing lobbyist registration and tonight, they will consider it yet again.

Weiner has said the ordinance is aimed at lobbyists such as Judy Stern of Plantation, a political consultant who for years has wielded power in Davie, helping elect Mayor Harry Venis and council members Jim Bush and Kathy Cox.

The lobbyist ordinance has met with some resistance by Bush and Cox, who call it too complex. Bush and Venis have suggested the town copy similar ordinances in neighboring governing bodies such as Broward County.

Another issue Paul and Weiner have pressed the five-member council to address is emergency medical care, which a private ambulance company now provides. Davie's contract with American Medical Response allows town firefighters to take over the company's role in each of Davie's fire stations as they become trained as paramedics.

For months before the March 10 election, firefighter union officials insisted they had enough trained personnel to take over a station. Town officials delayed a decision, however, questioning their readiness. Firefighters heavily campaigned for both Paul and Weiner. Weiner is the former attorney for the firefighters' union.

Within weeks after the election, the council decided to begin monitoring the private ambulance company and last month approved a firefighter takeover of one station by Oct. 1.

To do this, the council waived the bidding process and used reserve funds to buy about $30,000 in medical equipment and about $136,000 for two rescue vehicles. The vehicles, which arrived last week, will be used to further train firefighters for the phase-in.

''I think [EMS) was a subject no one wanted to address because everyone was comfortable with an ambulance company that was failing to adhere to the terms of the contract,'' Weiner said. ''And the evidence of that was no monitoring.''

Dean Alexander, who ran against Paul in March, credits Paul for reigniting discussion about several issues the council had stopped talking about months ago.

Two years ago, Paul and Alexander were part of a temporary town Charter Review Board. While 21 of their suggested revisions made their way onto the March 1997 ballot, others _ such as a clause to protect firefighters from privatization _ were tabled. Until recently.

''People listen a little more once you're elected to office,'' Paul said.

''If nobody brought it up, it wouldn't have come up again. So my first meeting during council member comments, I said I'd like to address some unfinished business from the charter review board.''

Residents soon may be able to vote on part of that ''unfinished business'' if the upcoming ballot has enough space. Such issues would include whether to add a clause, similar to one in place for police officers, protecting firefighters from privatization and whether to add a charter provision to guarantee public input at town meetings.

''I feel we're getting movement, positive action on things the charter review board wanted,'' said Art Joseph, a former member of that board.

Joseph added, ''I think you'll see Judy introduce a lot of things that have been dropped or weren't being discussed, and some good will come of it. I'm pleased as punch with both of them.''